Perfect
by SeaSpectre160
Summary: Ray's parents suddenly show up in the middle of a training session, and Ray's not too happy to see his dad. He has a pretty good reason... Non-yaoi, more of a friendship fic as far as the Ray/Kai factor goes.
1. Animosity

**Alright, here's my first Beyblade fic! Please go easy on me. Sorry this is late. I had to go to a camp with the sole purpose being to look after the younger campers. Anyway, this is set about a week after the end of Season One.**

** I don't know the other seasons all that well.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Beyblade. At all.**

**CLAIMER: I own Lillie, Elizabeth, and Carl. We don't see Lillie at all, but Kai's gotta live somewhere.**

"_**Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."**_**  
~ Philippians 4:4-7**

* * *

Another day of training, another day of Tyson's whining. I didn't care if there were no more big tournaments coming up soon; it didn't mean he could slack off practicing. Of course, he'd probably complain even more if he saw that I was on break. I'd already completed my daily training hours. He would've, too, but unlike me, he'd spent most of the day so far complaining. At least he's actually getting something done now that Ray's back from seeing the White Tigers to the airport.

I don't know if I'd ever be put in this position, but if I ever had to leave the Bladebreakers, Ray would be the one I'd put in charge. He's the only one mature enough. Kenny's okay, but he's more of a follower than a leader. Max definitely has enthusiasm, but he's a total softie when it comes to leading a team, and he isn't all that interested in the position anyway. And Tyson. Yes, he is one of the best bladers I've ever seen, and sure, people seem naturally drawn to him, but he isn't one for thinking ahead. All that makes Ray the obvious choice. He's already my unofficial second-in-command.

So it was just another regular, albeit boring Sunday. I sat outside my cousin Lillie's house, leaning against the wall, my arms folded behind my head and my legs stretched out in front of me. I'd been staying with Lillie since we returned from defeating the Demolition Boys in the World Tournament a week ago. She's ten years older than me, and since she's always busy with work – she's an actress teaching kids at a local theatre – Ray and I usually have the place to ourselves. Our team meets here every day to practice. Ray's only boarding with me until other things can be arranged. He says that even though he's reconnected with his old friends, he's not really ready to go back home. Mariah in particular wasn't all too happy when she found out he wasn't coming with them. If he wants her to stay interested in him, he sure has a funny way of showing it.

It was the sputtering of a motor that drew my attention to the old-fashioned pickup pulling into the driveway. I stood up as a man and woman climbed out.

"Is this the home to Lillie Hiwatari?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," I replied, "She's not here, but if there's anything I can help you with..."

"Actually, we heard that Ray Kon was staying here. We need to see him." Shrugging, I led them through the house. All the while, the man kept muttering under his breath. What was **his** problem? We came to the training room just in time to see Draciel knocking Dragoon out of the dish. Kenny sat in the corner, open computer on his lap, as usual. Ray was leaning against the wall, an amused smile playing on his face. He didn't notice us coming in - until the woman let out a shriek, ran over, and nearly strangled him in a tight hug. Ray's eyes widened in shock.

"Mom?" he gasped, "What are you doing here?" Max and Tyson, Beyblading match **completely** forgotten, stared while Kenny's fingers froze in mid-type as he looked up in interest.

Mrs. Kon pulled away and looked her son over. "Your friends the White Tigers sent us a letter told us where you were, so your father and I hopped on a plane and flew right over. Oh, look at you. You've gotten taller since the last time I saw you. You're starting to catch up with your father. Right, Carl?" Mr. Kon grunted, glaring at his son. Ray silently walked over, his face hard. For a second, I thought I saw him giving his dad 'The Look'. 'The Look' is where his pupils turn to slits. It freaks a lot of people out, because it seems almost inhuman. What bugged me about it now was that Ray was giving it to his own father. 'The Look' is reserved for when he's seriously pissed, which is a pretty rare event. What did Mr. Kon do to deserve that?

"Hey, Dad," Ray mumbled, avoiding his father's own eyes. After receiving another grunt in response, he turned back to his mother, smiling a little. "I'm glad to see you," he told her, giving her another warm hug. He was definitely being sincere there. "We could make some room for you if you want to stay awhile."

Mrs. Kon's smile vanished. "You're not coming with us?"

"There's a week-long day camp at the Beydome teaching local kids how to Beyblade, and we've volunteered to help out."

"We have?" Tyson interrupted.

"Yeah, I signed us up this morning."

"Ra-ay!"

"Oh, come on. It'll be fine. It's only for a week. We're starting tomorrow. Think about it. There aren't any tournaments coming up, and there'll be tons of kids wanting to learn from the World Champions."

"'World Champions?'" Mr. Kon finally spoke up from the doorway. I looked over and saw that he had a bitter scowl on his face. "Don't tell me you're still wasting time on that stupid game?" Ray glared back. I was starting to understand their animosity. Ray is passionate about the sport.

"I'm **not** wasting my time. We're a professional team. We've come out on top at every tournament we've been to. And no, I **don't** regret it." The Kon men glared at each other for a couple seconds, until Mrs. Kon came between them.

"We can talk about that later," she said hurriedly, "I'm afraid we've interrupted you boys during practice." Mr. Kon grunted and left, muttering something about getting the luggage. Ray gave his mother another smile before turning back to the rest of us.

"Well, Tyson," he said, "How about you and I go for a round?" He pulled out his blade and faced the dish, but Tyson grabbed his arm before he could do anything else.

"You sure that's a good idea?" he asked, "You don't want to strain yourself."

"I'm fine," Ray argued.

"No, you're not," I stated, "You still haven't fully recovered from your match against Bryan. Like I said before the last round, low-blow body shots take time to heal."

"It's been a whole week, Kai."

"Doesn't matter. The doctors said **two** weeks before you start pushing yourself." Ray sighed and crossed his arms. I knew it was killing him, not being able to Beyblade, but none of us wanted him collapsing like he did a couple days ago. It only came out when he was under stress, but Ray's health was still damaged, thanks to Bryan. We'd all gladly teach that guys a lesson, but he'd probably do the same to us.

* * *

"**Applause and recognition are the handmaidens of creativity" ~ Nell Shipman**


	2. Blood and Promises

**So here's the second chapter. For all the Ray/Kai romance fans, I apologize in advance for the Ray/Mariah stuff. This is the coupling I support, even though I think Ray and Kai could be great friends. **

* * *

I couldn't sleep. I just don't fall asleep easily. Mr. and Mrs. Kon had taken the second guest bedroom, so Ray had been moved in with me. It was well past midnight, and he was still tossing and turning in bed.

The door slowly creaked open. Ray half sat up, while I kept still. It was Mr. Kon, and he didn't seem too happy. Ray got up and out of bed, long black hair covering half his face. I doubt either of them knew I was awake as they exchanged fierce glances. Even in the dim light, I **knew** Ray was giving his father 'The Look'.

"What do you want?" Ray's tone was low and dangerous, something Mr. Kon apparently didn't pick up on. He stepped all the way in, beefy hands curling into fists.

"You no-good, rotten brat," he snarled, First you run off, then you waste your time learning to fight with a **spinning top**, and now you're spreading the useless habit to other kids. I'm **ashamed** to say that you're my son."

POW! POW!

The huge fists came into direct contact. The first one buried itself into Ray's gut, while the other one smashed into the left side of his head. Ray dropped to the floor, holding his hand to his face and gasping for air – his father had knocked the wind out of him. Mr. Kon spat, then turned and left, shutting the door behind him. Ray stood up eventually, groaning, and stumbled towards the adjoining bathroom. As silently as possible, knowing Ray is **very** hard to sneak up on, I got up out of bed and crept after him.

As he flicked on the light, the damage was revealed. His left eye had quickly swollen shut, and he had a bloody nose. He grabbed a facecloth and tried to wipe away all the blood, but more trickled down. Suddenly, Ray's good eye caught sight of something – my reflection in the bathroom mirror. He spun around to face me. "K-Kai…" he stuttered, "You **saw** that?"

I nodded, not knowing what to say. I found it hard to believe that a father would beat his own son. Sure, my own grandfather wasn't the nicest guy to me, but I never thought Ray had such a problem in his own family. He never seemed angry or depressed or anything like that.

He was staring at me now. I got the feeling that I should say something. "You might want to put some ice on that." Well, I probably didn't make him feel any better with that comment, but maybe it would ease the swelling in his eye. Ray nodded, but didn't move. "So how long has this been going on?" I asked.

Ray sighed. "About three weeks before I left home," he admitted, "I told all you guys I was just trying to learn more about Beyblading, but that wasn't the only reason. I was running away from my father."

"Anybody else know?"

"Mariah. She caught me trying to cover up a few bruises and got the whole story. She swore she wouldn't say anything, though."

* * *

"_Hey, Mariah, you mind going to find Ray?" Lee asked, crossing his arms impatiently, "We're going to be late." Mariah shrugged and stood up. She'd known it would be only a matter of time before she was sent to look for their friend. Lee hated waiting around, much to everyone's chagrin._

_Mariah ran up the dirt road towards the Kon house. Going in the front door would be a stupid idea, considering how much Mr. Kon disapproved of Beyblading – and therefore, all of Ray's friends – so Mariah opted for Ray's bedroom window on the second floor. She was up the tree within two seconds, easily balancing on the branch right outside the window. No one was inside, so she pulled it open – Ray never locked it – and jumped in._

_There was only a slight rustling noise from Ray's bathroom. Mariah crept over and peeked in. Ray stood in front on the mirror, looking miserable with an ice pack pressed against his face._

"_Ray?" Mariah whispered tentatively. Ray jumped nearly a foot in the air. Mariah now had a perfect view of the dark bruise on Ray's cheek. She gasped and ran over to him. "What happened to you?"_

_Ray placed the ice pack back over the mark, as if he was trying to hide it. "Nothing."_

"_Don't think I'll buy that for a second. It's not 'nothing', Ray." She pried his hand away and took a closer look. "Tell me, how did you get that?" He said nothing. "Ray, please. You have to trust me."_

_Ray sighed and set the ice pack down on the counter. "Fine. You remember how I blew off that festival to practice yesterday?" Mariah nodded. "Well, my dad kind of found out, and he was pretty pissed about it. So last night, he…"_

"_Oh, Ray, that's terrible. You should tell somebody."_

"_No! No one can know about this. It's not like it'll happen again, anyway. I'll just play sick today. All you have to do is cover me, alright?"_

"_But Ray-"_

"_**Mariah**__." Ray was serious, yet pleading at the same time. "Please, I need you to do this for me. I promise, I'll make up for it."_

_Mariah had a nagging feeling that this wasn't over yet, but she nodded anyway and hugged him. "All right. But you'd better come tomorrow, okay?" At Ray's nod, she turned and left, back out through the window._

"_Well?" Lee asked as Mariah returned, "Is he coming or not?"_

"_Not. He, uh, caught a cold, or something."_

_Lee sighed, but shrugged. "Then let's go."_

* * *

After hearing that story, I knew Ray would ask of me the same thing he asked of Mariah. "You mind not telling the others?" he begged me, "This isn't really something anyone else should get involved in. Why do you think I never told you guys in the first place?"

I nodded. "Yeah, fine. But you're going to have to tell them something tomorrow morning when they see your eye."

"Thanks, Kai." He turned back to the mirror and continued dabbing at his bloody face.


	3. They Know

**Okey-dokey, here's chapter 3! Oh, why did I have to say okey-dokey? This chapter has a little more action, and I'm sorry if my description of the Beybattle sucks! If anyone knows the song 'Perfect' by Simple Plan, it's the song I named the story after, and the one that was playing as I worked on it. The first verse especially fits.**

**DISCLAIMER: I think I forgot this in the last chpater, but I don't own Beyblade! And I don't own 'Perfect' by Simple Plan.**

**CLAIMER: I own Elizabeth, Carl, Lillie, and the five creepy thugs.**

**"Never retreat, never explain, never apologize; get the thing done and let them howl." ~ Nellie McClung.**

* * *

Tyson, Max, and Kenny all arrived at ten o'clock. The Beyblading camp would start at eleven, so they all planned to meet up at Lillie's place and then walk to the Beydome. Tyson couldn't help but stare when he saw Ray's face. "Whoa, what happened, Ray?" he asked, "Where'd you get **that**?" By 'that', of course, he meant the blackened left eye. Last time he'd looked, that hadn't been there.

"Huh? Oh, I… uh…" Ray mumbled.

Kai spoke up. "He tripped and whacked his face on a doorknob."

Tyson arched an eyebrow. Ray? **Tripping**? He wasn't exactly the clumsy type. Tyson himself was far more likely to do that.

The Kons entered the kitchen together. Ray mumbled a 'Good Morning' to them, but refused to face them. Tyson couldn't help noticing Kai throwing a death glare at Mr. Kon's back. What was with everyone today?

Mrs. Kon insisted that she and her husband accompany the Bladebreakers to the Beydome. It was only a ten-minute walk from Lillie's, so they didn't have to drive or anything. Ray kept his head down the entire time, until his mom finally noticed his bruise. "Ray, honey, what on earth happened?" she asked in a panic, grabbing his face and turning him so that she could get a better look.

Ray pulled away. "Tripped." His response, while making Tyson even more suspicious, seemed to be enough to satisfy his mother's curiosity.

* * *

We got to the Beydome soon enough, and were greeted by the camp director – Mr. Dickenson. I wasn't surprised to see him there, not one bit. Mrs. Kon pleasantly introduced herself and her husband.

"It's nice to meet you," she greeted him, "My name's Elizabeth Kon, and this is my husband, Carl. We're Ray's parents."

Mr. Dickenson shook her hand. "Likewise, it is a pleasure to meet you both." When he reached his hand out to Mr. Kon, the man grumbled before reluctantly shaking it.

Like everyone else, Mr. Dickenson seemed to sense something a little off about Ray's dad. I wondered how Mrs. Kon couldn't see how much he was hurting their son. The signs were obvious, of course that was probably because I knew the truth already.

At eleven, the doors opened, and a whole crowd of kids rushed in. I wound up instructing the more advanced bladers with Tyson, while Max and Ray handled the beginners.

It was hell. Even the more skilled kids weren't all that good. I nearly got hit in the face by more than one blade. If those kids had been on a team under **my** command, it sure wouldn't be for long. But instead of telling them that, I kept my mouth shut when it came to pointing out their bigger mistakes, and let Tyson deal with that. He's much better at not making kids cry.

* * *

It was four frustrating hours later when we were finally free from teaching. All the kids scattered, already challenging each other to test their new skills, and I was planning on bringing everyone back to Lillie's for some more training. Except for a few demonstrations, none of us had actually done any Beyblading of our own. But then Tyson started complaining about being hungry – no surprise there – so Mrs. Kon suggested we go somewhere for a late lunch. I groaned. Food had been given out around noon – but then again, it wasn't all that edible. I'm not even sure what it was supposed to **be**. So I reluctantly agreed.

As we walked, Ray and his dad got into an argument. One guess what it was about. "If you'd just spend more of your time doing something more productive, we wouldn't be having this problem!"

"Forget it! I'm not ditching my team now! Why don't you just accept that this is what I want to do with my life?!"

"Beyblading is just a game! One that you're too focused on!" Mr. Kon grabbed his son's arm and squeezed, hard. Ray grunted in pain.

"Carl!" Mrs. Kon gasped. Her husband suddenly remembered that people were there and let go, still grumbling.

"Man, what is **up** with that dude?" Tyson whispered.

"Beats me," Max hissed back, "What kind of family argues like that?"

"Actually," Kenny interrupted, also keeping his voice low, "I've heard of plenty of families like that. It's sad but true."

"You know, guys," Tyson stated, "I don't think Ray got that shiner from tripping and falling onto a doorknob." I groaned again, inwardly this time. How was it that he could be totally oblivious to everything around him one minute and too perceptible for his own good the next? One may never know…

"What do you mean, Tyson? How else could it have happened?"

"Come on, Chief, aren't you supposed to be the smart one? Didn't you see what just happened? I bet Ray's dad gave him the black eye."

"No way!" Max gasped.

"He did," I admitted quietly, "I saw the whole thing last night. That's Ray's real reason for leaving home, and why he won't go back."

"Why didn't you tell us, Kai?" Tyson whined. Mrs. Kon glanced back, curious, and he plastered a huge, goofy grin on his face until she looked away. "Seriously, maybe we could've done something about it!"

"Like what?"

"I… I don't know, but there must be something."

"No. The only thing we can do is make sure Ray doesn't eventually lose it and swing back. It'll only make things worse if he does."

"Well, don't you think his mom should know?" Max added.

"That's not up to us."

"But…"

"Enough. Let's just go get lunch, then head back to Lillie's. Then as soon as Ray's parents are out of the room, we'll talk to him."

When we rounded the corner, Mrs. Kon suddenly screamed and vanished into an alleyway. As we ran after her, we saw a group of guys in black standing there. One of them held a knife to her throat. "Alright," another snarled, "Hand over all your valuables, and nobody gets hurt." Mr. Kon immediately dug his hand into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.

One thug snatched away and counted the money. "That's all you got?" he growled.

"Yes, it is. Now let my wife go."

"Not quite yet," the first one snapped, eyeing Kenny's laptop, "I said all of your valuables, including that fancy computer there." He tugged the laptop out of Kenny's hands and glared at the rest of us. "And what kind of kids your age don't go around with Beyblades in their pockets? Fork 'em over!"

Tyson clenched his fists. I knew his reply before the words were out of his mouth. "No way! You'll have to battle us for them!"

The thug smirked. "You're on, punk. We'll take you **all** on! Winner takes all!"

Tyson, Max, and I confidently stepped forward, but I held Ray back. "You're sitting this one out," I whispered to him.

"But-" Ray protested.

"You're not fully recovered yet, and you don't have Driger. Let us handle this."

"Kai, this is my mom we're talking about. I can't just stand aside and watch!" He took his spot between me and Max. I sighed, knowing there was no way of talking him out of this, and readied my own blade. I couldn't help but remember the final minutes before Ray's last round with Bryan. Everyone had begged him not to go back out there, especially considering Round 2 had left him unconscious. But he'd refused to back down, just like now, and wound up in the hospital.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Mr. Kon cried, "You're playing a **game** to decide what happens?!" I chose to ignore that comment. He didn't get it that Beyblade is more than just a game, but a way of life. Instead, we watched as four of the five thugs, save the one still holding Mrs. Kon hostage, took their own stances, black blades and launchers at the ready.

"Three…" one announced, "two… one!"

"LET IT RIP!"

All eight blades hit the ground at the same time, pairing off into four one-on-one skirmishes. Max, Tyson and I each won ours within about a minute, but Ray was struggling. His opponent was evidently better than we'd assumed. Ray's blade had already started wobbling from the beating it was getting, and Ray wasn't doing all that well himself. As I looked over, I could see that it was happening all over again – he was pale and sweating and it looked like he was fighting to stay conscious. It was just like when he'd collapsed a couple days ago. Like before, the stress he was going through right now was hurting him physically.

Suddenly, the thug's blade did something I never expected: it unleashed a Bit-Beast. It looked like a dark silver skeleton wearing a heavy cloak, making me think of the Grim Reaper. "Destroy them, Demonor!" its maters commanded. Demonor went for Draciel first. Sparks flashed as the blades collided. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Kon staring at the two Bit-Beasts fighting it out. Something told me this was the first real Beyblade battle he'd ever witnessed.

Max's cry of surprise brought me back to the battle. His blade was on its side at his feet, defeated. Dragoon charged forward with a vengeance, but the same thing happened. Now it was my turn. Demonor was going for Ray's blade, but my Dranzer refused to move out of its path. I had a feeling that, with all that was on the line, Ray wouldn't be able to handle the stress if his blade was knocked out.

* * *

**"Every day I tell myself 'This is not a dress rehearsal'. You only get one life." ~ Nia Vardalos**

**LYRICS: (1st verse and chorus)**

**Hey, Dad, look at me. Think back and talk to me. Did I grow up according to plan? And do you think I'm wasting my time doing thing I want to do, but it hurts when you disapprove all along. And now I try hard to make it. I just want to make you proud. I'm never gonna be good enough for you. I can't pretend that I'm alright. And you can't change me. 'Cuz we lost it all, nothing lasts forever. I'm sorry, I can't be perfect. Now it's just too late, and we can't go back. I'm sorry, I can't be perfect.**


	4. The White Tiger Returns

**Hiya, here's the second-last chapter. These last two are going to be a little short, though. Sorry this is a week late, but I had exams to study for, so my fanfics had to be put on the back burner, Here are a few review replies (which I will now be doing on all my stories):**

**Marishka91: Yeah, I only had Demonor take out Tyson and Max because I wanted Kai to have a little one-on-one with him uninterrupted.**

**Kinomiya: Don't worry, I'm like a genie in this situation. Your wish is already destined to come true. But I don't live in a lamp.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THIS SHOW, FOR THE FIFTIETH TIME! HOW MANY TIMES WILL I HAVE TO DO THIS FOR EVERY CHAPTER!?**

"**Some people have so much respect for their superiors they have none left for themselves." ~ Peter McArthur**

* * *

Demonor and Dranzer clashed together, fighting so swiftly that all that could be seen was a swirl of silver and scarlet. "Come on, Dranzer!" Max shouted, "Show 'em who's boss!"

"Let it rip!" The three thugs we'd already beaten had grabbed up their blades and launched them back into battle.

"Hey!" Kenny cried, "You can't do that! It's against the rules!"

"Well, I don't see a judge anywhere, kid," one sneered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tyson and Max exchange furious, determined glances before picking up their blades and re-launching them. Just in time, too. The other three had started beating up on Ray, whose own blade was just barely dodging their attacks.

Meanwhile, Demonor and Dranzer were still going at it. Neither one of us could get an advantage over the other. But that didn't mean I was going to back down. I **never** back down. Ever. "Why don't you just admit you can't beat us?" I called to Demonor's master, "Or don't you know who we are?"

"Who cares? We're the ones winning, here. And we're the best that ever walked these streets."

Tyson probably would've burst into gloating laughter if it weren't for the serious circumstances. Instead, he glared. "Don't tell me you haven't heard of the Bladebreakers."

The thugs' eyes all widened as reality struck them. _'That's right,'_ I thought, _'You just got yourself into a fight you can't win.'_ "Dranzer, now!" I had a perfectly good distraction right there – why waste it? My blade leapt up and landed on the edge of the other one, disrupting its balance. The blade started wobbling a little.

"Enough!" The fifth thug, who'd been patiently standing back with Mrs. Kon, seemed to have lost said patience. He pressed the knife even closer to her throat, drawing a little blood. "Why don't we just end this?!"

I glanced over at Ray to see his reaction, and it wasn't good. He'd gotten about ten shades paler, and started shaking. Max and I grabbed his arms as he sank to his knees. "Mom…" he mumbled, "No, leave her alone!"

A flash of green light caught my eye. Immediately, I remembered the last time Ray's Driger had vanished, and the day the Bit-Beast had returned. History repeated itself as the beam of light hit Ray's blade before shooting up again in the form of the majestic tiger. Driger was back, roaring, with a vengeance.

Ray shook us off and stood up shakily, anger flashing in his eyes as he gave them 'The Look'. "I said," he growled, "Leave her ALONE!" Driger zoomed around, taking out three of the thugs' blades single-handedly and smashing them to pieces. It was now four against one. Driger, Draciel, and Dragoon joined my Dranzer in the fight against Demonor. Everyone was mesmerized by the swirls of green, purple, blue, and scarlet combating silver. Finally, all four of our blades charged as one.

The head thug just stood there as his blade flew past his head, shattering when it hit the brick wall behind him. All was silent for a while, except for the sounds of the cars going by in the street and our still spinning blades. "We win," I stated matter-of-factly, "Now give back what's ours and scram."

Mrs. Kon was shoved into her husband's arms, and Kenny's laptop nearly thrown to the ground – he had to make a mad dive to catch it. The guys in black scrambled off, terrified. I shot a glare at their backs as they rounded the corner.

"That was awesome!" Max's exclamation brought my attention back to my team. "Driger came back and totally saved the day!" I saw Ray staring at his blade, which he'd now picked up. On it, I could see that the image of the white tiger had reappeared.

"Ray!" his mother gasped, running over and giving him a tight hug, "How did you… that creature… how?"

"It's a little complicated. That was Driger, my Bit-Beast. They're really rare, only the best bladers have 'em." Ray suddenly collapsed.

"Ray!"

"He'll be fine," Max assured her, "He took a bad beating in the world finals a week ago. Faced a guy who prefers attacking the blader instead of the blade, and wound up in the hospital. He still hasn't fully recovered, but it only shows up when he's stressed."

"But on the positive side," Kenny added, as Mrs. Kon still looked like she was about to have a panic attack, "He held out much longer than during that casual match against Kai a few days ago, so it looks like his condition is actually improving."

* * *

**Just one more chapter left!**

"**Time solves every problem and in the process add a couple of new ones." ~ Richard J. Needham**


	5. A Fresh Start

**Alrighty, here's the last chapter. Now, my next story, "The War of Yllauras" (W.i.t.c.h.) won't be up until Saturday after ext, due to the fact that I will be on a camping trip (I am not going to miss out on a family tradition that's been going on since my mom was a baby, just because of one fic). Anyway, this story has been really hard to write, but it has also been fun, and I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I have. Have a safe and happy summer! Or winter, if you're on the other end of the world.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Beyblade, I think I've said that enough times already.**

**CLAIMER: I own Carl, Elizabeth, and Lillie, yada yada yada.**

**

* * *

**

'_What happened? Where am I? Man, my head hurts.'_ His eyes slowly opened, but he could only see black. _'Am I dead? No, don't be stupid, Ray. You're not dead.'_ He began to make out blurry shapes in the darkness. The most noticeable were two people-shaped figures on either side of him. One reached a fuzzy hand towards him and felt his forehead. The person wore rings; Ray could feel the cool, brassy metal on his skin.

"Ray, honey?" That voice. It was Mom's. "Ray, are you awake?"

"Mm…Mom?" He was so tired, even that exhausted him.

"Shah, just relax. It's okay, we're at Lillie's." Ray blearily looked around. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he could see he was in the room he shared with Kai. His leader was in bed with his back to them, but Ray doubted he was really asleep. He glanced at the window. The sun had long since set.

He still couldn't remember how he got there. He remembered the hectic morning at the Beydome. But nothing else.

"What the heck happened?" he whispered.

"You blacked out after that Beyblading match." Beyblading match? Oh, yeah! They'd gotten into a Beybattle against some thugs, and won – barely. "Your friends told us what happened with that boy, Bryan. Honey, do you why Lee and the others never said anything?"

Ray smiled a little. "Yeah, you worry too much. I just pushed myself too far during the last round, that's all."

"You still won, though." Another voice joined the conversation – Dad's. He glanced over at Mom. "Liz, can we have a moment alone?" Ray knew he **really** wanted her to leave, because that pet name was always reserved for extreme measures. Mom, of course, couldn't resist when he called her Liz, so she stood up.

"Of course. I should probably get some sleep, anyway." She gave each of them a kiss on the forehead before quietly slipping out. Ray wondered what his father wanted. It wasn't like he'd forgotten last night; his eye still felt swollen. Dad shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Ray saw Kai turn over in bed, his eyes wide open and suspicious.

"Ray… Listen, I guess the first thing I should say is that I'm sorry. Today, I saw the way you kids fought, and it seemed so different than when you were a child. And I started to see why you love Beyblade so much. The way you four came together, and those creatures, I never knew all that could exist in a game."

"It's more than you expected, isn't it?" Ray knew his dad was apologizing, but he couldn't help his bitterness. All those blows were still vivid in his mind.

"**So** much more. I thought you were just wasting your time, but after hearing about everything your team has done, and everything you've been through – your teammates told me about those competitors from Russia – I guess you can say I made a mistake."

"No argument there."

"I know you're mad at me, and I don't blame you in the slightest. I never should've hurt you." He looked Ray in the eyes, silently pleading for forgiveness. "Please, Ray. I'm sorry for what I did, and I just want to start over." The tears had started now. Dad wasn't all-out bawling, but it was just enough to make Ray give in.

He gave Dad a smile and slowly sat up, even though his headache worsened every second. "Yeah. I'd like that." Father and son shared in a hug.

* * *

"So you grip the launcher with your left hand here, and hold the rip chord like this, and…" Ray executed a prefect launch into the dish while his father watched. Kenny sat nearby, typing away and arguing with Dizzi as usual. Now that Driger had returned, he'd insisted on running some tests to be sure that Ray's blade still performed like it always had. Tyson and Max were who knows where, Lillie and Mrs. Kon had gone out shopping, and I watched as Ray tried to teach his father the basics of Beyblading. Mr. K on had been a bit surprised to learn that the sport was just a little more complicated than simply yanking on the rip chord and watching the blades randomly spinning and whacking each other. He was having a tough time just figuring out how to launch.

I was glad that Ray and his father had made up. It would be a while before everything was completely fine between them – a problem like theirs won't go away just like that – but I was confident that the worst was over.

* * *

**Okay, so I guess all good things come to an end. Personally, I think the happy was resolved all too quickly, but I couldn't think of anything else.**

**Anyway, here's the preview for "The War of Yllauras":**

**_That was all it took. Her sapphire-coloured complexion was visible to all. "Guards!" Javiera screeched, "Get in here! She's a Nolimarian!" Instantly, Radelia bolted, hoisting up her annoyingly long black skirt. When one guard stepped into her path, she responded with the dagger hidden up her sleeve. Anyone else who tried to hinder her progress was met with the same fate. She finally made it to the dorr; pushing it open, Radelia streaked out and into the woods. The angry shouts of guards behind her pumped adrenaline through her system as she dodged trees, bushes, and the occasional arrow whizzing past her head._**

**_In the forest, no mere Moriunite could catch her. Molimar might have been the poorer of Yllauras' two nations, but they were the better warriors. They didn't need any fancy metal weapons or armour; they could fight with stone daggers and their own fists, and could vanish into the shadows within an instant. Radelia was a true Nolimarian warrior, despite being a girl. The elders had been enraged when they found out, but they'd had no choice besides letting her stay among the ranks, especially since all the rituals had been performed by then._**

**_She'd almost lost all of her pursuers, but a few brutish soldeirs refused to be shaken. Their heavy footfalls and loud breathing could still be heard. And they were getting closer and closer, very quickly._**


End file.
